Friday, March 15, 2013

How to Dry Bay Leaves

It was time to prune my Bay Laurel plant that I keep in a large pot in front of our house. This time however, I decided to try my hand at drying some for our annual trip to the pacific northwest. First I cut a few of the straggling branches. Then I washed and wiped off the leaves. There are several different ways to go about drying them. You can tie them together and hang upside down in drafty area, oven dry, use a dehydrator or simply dry on the counter between two large cookie sheets. I decided on the latter. It was a very easy process.........

Ingredients:

Bay leaves with no blemishes

To prepare:

Carefully wipe off leaves, taking care not to bruise. Use a large cookie sheet and spread leaves out so that they do not touch each other. Put another tray on top. This keeps the leaves from curling. After 48 hours remove tray. Let them continue to dry until they are thoroughly dehydrated and crack when bent. Mine took about 8 days. Store bay leaves in a lidded glass container away from light. Enjoy in soups and stews, remember to remove before serving.

Cheri Savory Spoon

Mysavoryspoon was first started in 2010 as a way to journal recipes that I had collected from cookbooks, magazines, family and friends. Most everything was savory, using legumes and whole grains. Along the way I discovered a love for baking. Now a couple times a month you might see some type of sweet pie or treat.